Antoine Dupont will make his Six Nations return when he leads France in Friday’s tournament opener against Wales.
The star scrum-half missed last year’s Six Nations to concentrate on Olympics preparation with the France sevens squad, and he played a key role in them winning gold on home soil.
Dupont links up with Toulouse colleague Romain Ntamack as his half-back partner, and there is a start for Pau wing Theo Attissogbe.
Attissogbe, who wins his fourth cap, takes over from an injured Damian Penaud, while another injury absentee – lock Thibaud Flament – is replaced by Alexandre Roumat.
France have won their last six games against Wales, and they host a team without a Test victory since beating Georgia during the 2023 World Cup.
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 29, 2025
France team to play Wales in Six Nations
Forwards: 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 3 Uini Atonio, 4 Alexandre Roumat, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 6 François Cros, 7 Paul Boudehent, 8 Grégory Alldritt
Backs: 9 Antoine Dupont (Captain), 10 Romain Ntamack, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 12 Yoram Moefana, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 14 Théo Attissogbé, 15 Léo Barré
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Mickel Guillard, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Émilien Gailleton